At least seven people were detained by an unknown group while travelling on the Namkham to Mandalay highway last Sunday, according to a representative from the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD).

Sai Yee Phoo, the Vice Chairman of the SNLD in Namkham Township, told SHAN that those missing are local people who were travelling in an area that has been the site of the conflict between the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA).

“At the moment, there are at least seven people who have been arrested,” he said. “And no one knows where they are now.”

On June 5, Sai Yee Seng Muang, the driver of the car, was carrying six passengers from Namkham to Lashio. They all disappeared on the way, according to a cousin of Sai Yee Seng Muang. The cousin said that local police officials have been informed of the situation.

He went on to say that other drivers who passed by on the road claimed that the TNLA troops had blocked the road and stopped every car that was passing by their checkpoint.

“They (the TNLA troops) blocked the road with the trees near Pa Leng village in Nam Pak Kar sub-township,” he explained.

Sai Yee Phoo called for everyone traveling in the area to be very careful because the fighting has continued.

“A few days ago, two Ta’ang villagers were killed,” he said. “Right now, Shan people are being arrested. When there is fighting, the victims are the local people, not the armed groups.”

The conflict between two groups, which started in November 2015, has caused thousands of people to flee their homes. Both sides have continued to blame one another for causing the clashes. There have been attempts to get the two groups to sit down for negotiations however this has yet to happen.